Video games have become a way of life. There is not a single person who has not played a game or been hooked on to some games while growing up or even after growing up. However it is also very common for most parents around the world to try to keep their children away from games with a fear that the kids will get addicted to them and that will affect their growth and stability. Even adults and teenagers are discouraged from playing games as it is considered to be a waste of time and a non value adding activity. However current studies prove that all that we have known and believed about video games is very different from reality. Contrary to beliefs that video games do not add value to the person who plays them, research now says that they in fact enhance learning abilities. In this article we have put together details on how games help us learnAbility to understandWhen one plays a video-game, one tends to don the role of the character in the video game. It can be any role depending on the game, from a chef to a detective to an investment banker. These roles that an individual assumes, ensures that the players get to think, talk and act. They get a sneak preview into the other roles or different life styles. A player playing Lineage gets to don the role of an international financier and gets to trade raw materials, sell and buy different goods and speculate on currencies. This is something that requires the player to think and a role that the player should handle with care. Thus this helps the person playing a game understand the situation and act accordingly. This rich experience makes a powerful context for learning. Thus individuals playing video games develop the capability to understand and act and think according to situation which is a great learning.Learn by DoingVideo games allow its users to learn by doing rather than just learning. The kind of activities and tasks that one has to perform in games, the kind of strategies that one has to come up with in games forces the user to think and develop his knowledge. The users cannot just play with out having an idea of the situation. The players gain rich and varied expertise by the roles that they don in different games. For example in the game called Fill Spectrum Warrior, the player is expected to understand the military doctrine and has to build knowledge of the weapons, equipments and environments of the game to succeed in the game. Depending on the game, the player has to implement his learning’s in the game in order to win the game. Thus video games help gamers all over the world to learn by doing and also creates and eagerness in them to learn new things.Given that computers and technology are a major part of our lives these days, the fact that playing video games helps enhance our learning abilities is indeed a breather for video game enthusiasts every where.

The GREATEST real estate agent in the world is an interesting topic of conversation as well as being a contest.Now, let me explain first that I do not consider myself the “Greatest real estate agent in the world Panama City, Florida!” but I do consider myself a very adept and professional real estate agent who offers the finest real estate services inHowever, this sounds like a fun contest and I thought I would enter and have a little fun with it.So, let’s begin…I believe there is much more to the true nature of being the “Greatest real estate agent in the world”, I also believe that it’s about understanding, learning and offering the greatest real estate services available. Anywhere!What goes into being the “Greatest real estate agent in the world”? Well, in my opinion there are allot of things agents can do to help their primary focus of selling real estate and assisting their customers in purchasing real estate:Advertising – The agent must be focused and advertise not only to achieve a strong market penetration, but also be able to reach the most qualified readers for their advertisement.Market and Product Knowledge – The agent must maintain a strong and thorough knowledge of their local real estate market. To this they must spend hours researching sales and listings, expired listings and withdrawn listings.Honest and ethical – One trait I believe sets the “Greatest real estate agent in the world” apart from other agents is their ability to be honest and hold their morals and ethics to the very highest of standards! Their dealings with not only their clients and customers must exemplify high moral and ethical behavior, but also their dealings with other real estate agents as well as supporting professionals such as Loan offices, builders, contractors etc.Investment foresight – I believe another strong trait is the ability to be able to discern which properties make the strongest case for their clients and customers investment strategy. Not only being able to calculate rates of return, Gross Rent Multipliers, Potential Gross Income and other variables but also understanding how these variables affect the purchase of a customers or clients real estate investment strategy!Technology insight – Being able to not only understand the technology that exists today to assist a real estate agent in their business but also having the ability to apply that technology is a paramount consideration today.As technology becomes a more important part of our daily lives, it also becomes a primary tool to provide additional services and assistance to real estate agents clients and customers.The application of technology, aside from having a website is no easy task. After all, the expertise of real estate agent is selling real estate! However, the ability to utilize and implement effectively the available software and hardware in an agents business will allow that agent to be recognized as a leader in their market and industry.These are but a few of the factors that go into making the “Greatest Real Estate Agent in the World” a reality for any real estate agent in today’s highly competitive real estate market.In my opinion, there is so much to becoming the greatest, that to actually decide who this person is would be beyond the abilities of most experts today.However, we as real estate agents must continue to strive to be the best we can be for our local market place. Our eye on the prize of being the “Greatest Real Estate Agent in the World” should remain our focus through out our careers.

Animal fur is one of the high-priced raw material used in the production of high-end fashion products. The material has been used since time immemorial in human clothing. In recent times, inhuman practices in the fashion industry have come to the forefront including the perceived cruelty to animals and the unethical rearing of animals for the production of fur.Animal fur in fashion and the growing consciousnessAccording to many animal rights’ associations, nearly one billion rabbits, 4 million foxes and 50 million minks are bred and killed for the sole purpose of producing fur from these animals. Both the breeding, rearing and killing practices have been labelled as inhuman and barbaric by most activists around the world. China has been the largest exporter of animal fur in the world and widely criticized for its alleged unethical killing of animals including cats and dogs.Animal fur has remained in popular culture and fashion; especially, in its usage as a luxury textile. It is considered as a symbol of social and economic status because of its cost and rarity.However, with the turn of the century, a lot of impetus is being laid on the production of ethical and conscious clothing sans the cruelty to animals on moral and ethical grounds for the sake of fashion.After years of protests against the rampant use of animal fur in fashion, many animal rights activists have finally found some relief as many high-end fashion brands have gone fur-free. The move has been welcomed by authorities, activists, fashion industries and the general masses alike. Some of the leading names in fashion retail that have gone fur-free include Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Gucci.Recent trends in the fur-free fashion revolutionMichael Kors, along with Jimmy Choo, is the most recent fashion brand to adopt a no-fur policy. Net-a-Porter is a popular luxury online shopping portal that has announced a no-fur policy across all of its e-commerce platforms.A considerable work in this regard has been done by various animal welfare groups across the world. These include Born Free USA, part of the Fur Free Alliance, PETA and others.One of the best examples of fur-free fashion is the popular London Fashion Week that welcomed fur-less fashion on its catwalk ramps. The event boasted of 86 percent of its shows to have featured completely fur-free fashion.British designer-activist Stella McCartney’s introduced her fur-alternative label ‘Fur Free Fur’ featuring long-haired coats at the prestigious Paris Fashion Week.The Road Ahead… In spite of the efforts by animal welfare groups around the globe and fashion brands and retailers joining hands to fight the menace, a lot of work remains to be done in this regard. There are still many fashion retail brands who identify themselves with the prolific use of real fur in their products. The likes of Fendi, Dior, Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Canada Goose and Karl Lagerfeld further need to reevaluate their stance on the matter.Human fabrics have been evolving and fashion takes the baton forward in bringing new trends and innovations in the industry. The use of alternative fur is one of the champion alternatives, pioneered by Stella McCartney. Therefore, fur-free designs are here to stay and it’s high time that luxury fashion brands embrace ethical fashion for good!